I'll Be There To Catch You
by Jck'sBrknHeart
Summary: .STAY ALIVE. Jack doesn't believe the 'killer video games' rumors until she meets Swink, someone who lived through it.
1. Painful Happenings

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Stay Alive or any of it's characters.  
**Author's Note: **Newly improved :]

* * *

**One.**

"Move Jack, before she slices your arm off," A twenty-something told her best friend as they played the newest horror role-playing game.

"I'm fine, Ash." She responded, fearlessly as she dodged the slice.

Nothing in the gaming world scared Jacklyn Elizabeth Kerns - not even the stories that surfaced last May about the 7 people who had lost their lives to a video game villain, both virtually and in real life. They were, after all, just stories. No stories or tales were worth the kind of fear people often put into them, at least Jack didn't think so.

"Aw dammit, I'm out," Ash exclaimed as her character lost its head to a vampire.

"I'm running from this – big bear thing," Jack replied, hastily as her character trucked through the woods.

All of a sudden, the bear-thing caught Jack's character by her ankle and ripped her to shreds. Virtual blood flew everywhere from the gaping wounds in her character's body.

"I was just disembodied by that thing," Jack sighed, her mouse's pointer hovering over the X in the top right corner of her computer screen. "That game blew," she added. Often, Jack and Ash would neglect their work and spend their days testing video games from their respective offices. Ash was an editor at a small newspaper while Jacklyn was in the advertising business.

"Yeah it did," Ash laughed, "But I'll see you tomorrow. I've got some actual work to do"

Jack chuckled too, "Alright - I should probably put the finishing touches on this ad anyway. Later Ash." She clicked the 'X,' turned off her headset, and set it back on her desk. Jack proceeded to finish up the ad she had told Ash about and then headed out of her office. She passed by a few cubicles - a few of the employees sending her a smile or wave - before getting on to the elevator and hitting the 'GF' button.

It didn't take very long for Jacklyn to get back to the apartment she shared with her long-time boyfriend, Alex, and wasn't paying very much attention as she opened the unlocked door and headed inside. She went into the kitchen and was shuffling things around in the fridge when she heard something peculiar coming from the back quarters of their apartment. She stopped what she was doing and stood still.

Real life, subsequently, scared Jack. People evading her apartment to rob her, in particular, scared her. She knew that in reality, you only have one life; one chance to live. She didn't want some asshole to ruin it for her.

Jack set the Pepsi she had been rummaging around for before entering the hallway cautiously. In the aforementioned hallway, there was a table. On that table was a hefty, metal candlestick holder; she grasped this, and held it as if it were a Louisville Slugger. She readied herself for attack. . . Maybe she had been playing video games too much.

Jack entered her bedroom, and dropped her weapon –er, candlestick holder. What she saw not only surprised her, but broke her heart as well. There, in her own bed, was Alex having sex with another woman. He looked up, "Oh fuck... Jackie I'm sorry."

She turned and left the apartment - Jack headed straight for the bar.

----

It was a month or so later when Ash and Jack met for lunch. The latter had something important to tell her best friend and as they were dining on Maine Lobster on that hot, summer day, Jack said, "Ash, I'm moving."

"What? Why?!" Ash questioned, her eyes the size of saucers. Jack could tell her friend was upset and distraught and she didn't have the heart to tell her that the reason she didn't want to live in Maine anymore was because of Alex. Ash had already given Alex more than a piece of her mind and she wouldn't understand if she said she was moving just because she couldn't stand the sights anymore.

So, Jacklyn lied.

"Work offered me a raise if I transferred to New Orleans - I told them I'd take it." It wasn't all a lie - Jack had _requested_ to transfer down to Louisiana and the company had been much obliged. They threw in a few perks, too.

Ash sighed, looking up at her life-long friend, "New Orleans is a long way away."

"I know, but you can come visit me and we'll still have our - um - work," She laughed.

Ash smiled.

---

Jack moved to New Orleans, alone. Her apartment was empty, but it also lacked the painful memories that the apartment she had shared with Alex had held. She was, at very least, grateful for that. In an attempt to make a new friend in New Orleans, Jack went out on the town. . . unfortunately, she found no one and found herself back at her new apartment with creole take-out and a bag of Blockbuster rentals for the night.


	2. Let The Games Begin

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Stay Alive, sadly.  
**Author's Note:** Newly improved :]

* * *

**Two. **

The next morning Jack went on a scavenger hunt for the nearest Best Buy. Jacklyn had thought she saw one on her way to Blockbuster, but had been mistaken fore when she dropped off _Gran Torino _and _Cube_ the next morning there was not a Best Buy in sight. In fact, there wasn't one in a five block radius. Finally, after picking up an iced Vanilla latte from a local coffee shop she asked for directions. The thirty-something male pointed her in the right direction it turned out, because in less than twenty minutes Jacklyn was staring at the bright-yellow price-tag logo.

She parked her car as close as she could get to the entrance and made her way back to the computer software section. She stared at the games in distaste and was mumbling to herself as she looked over the titles. Her replies went as follows: "Nope. . . Nope. . . piece of shit. . . awful . . ooh, Apocalypse : The Zombies Return!!!"

She picked up the latter of them and dabbled around in the television section for awhile before picking up the newest Kiefer Sutherland film and heading to the check out. Jack headed to the check-out and when she arrived the cashier smiled pleasantly at her.

"Good Choice," He said as he rang up the game, "It's really gory though. Might give a pretty thing like you nightmares."

She glanced up at him, "Sure it will. Thanks for the insight though."

He nodded, "That'll be $65.59."

She handed him the cash, and left the store reading the description of the game. When she got home, she instantly put the installation disk into the computer, and clicked '**INSTALL**.' Jack headed to her bathroom to pee, and phoned a pizza place after that. Within 20 minutes the pizza arrived and the game was installed. She set the pizza box in front of her on the desk and clicked all the 'Yes' and 'No' questions along the way. Finally, a screen appeared. which directed Jacklyn to select characteristics for her character.

'Oh, let's see,' she thought, her fingers placed on the keyboard and her headset already on. There was a blank labeled '**NAME**' and the cursor was blinking steadily - as if telling Jacklyn to make up her damn mind already. She finally decided on her old favorite, Jack Phoenix, and typed it into the blank.

A small grin appeared on her lips as she began to make up the rest of the character. She gave it long dark brown hair, green eyes, and tanned skin. It was clothed in a short, black dress and long boots.

'**DEFENSE** or **OFFENSE**' was the next choice to be made. Jack chose offense, rather typically, as she liked to kill zombies rather than protect herself from them. That's what Holy Water was for anyway.

'**CHOOSE YOUR WEAPONS**: Crossbow, Sword, 9 MM Pistol, Sawed-Off Shot Gun, Rifle, Dagger, or AK-47.'

"Like I have to think about that one," She mumbled to herself, clicking the 'AK-47' selection. Admittedly, Jacklyn was not the most patient or strategic of video game players and she found it easier to just shoot the living hell out of whatever came her way than to plan out when to strike. In any case, this made the AK-47 her favorite go-to weapon.

'**CONGRATULATIONS, ARE YOU READY TO BATTLE THE EVIL ZOMBIE SLIME**?'

Jack clicked '**Yes**' and a brilliant swirl of white and black flashed before her eyes. She placed her feet on her desk and grabbed a slice of pizza as the introduction and tutorial played through on the screen. After a long tutorial that was painfully easy, Jack finally got to the '**PLAY ONLINE**' screen. She clicked it and found a relatively empty group - there were only three team members so far.

'**REQUEST ENTRANCE FROM TEAM CAPTAIN**: Swink?'

She clicked 'Y' and waited for the captain to accept her as she pondered over the name. Swink was a new one to her - usually boys chose names like 'KillDatBitch08' and 'ZombieKilla94'. Jacklyn was happy to find out that this Swink had accepted her in about ten minutes.

A exuberant, boyish-sounding voice greeted her ears, "Hey, Jack."

"Swink," She replied, with a slight grin. No one ever expected girls to play games like these and often, guys were shocked to find a girl like Jack playing along and kicking ass.

"WHOA, you're a chick?!" See, no one ever expected it.

"Why yes, I am," She replied lazily.

"Isn't Jack a dude's name?"

Jack sighed softly as her eyes gazed over the game's landscape. It looked a lot like what could have been New York state at one time. "Short for Jacklyn, watch out, your ass is about to be–"

"Fuck," Swink's voice greeted her ears - he had been eaten by the Zombie. In the game, however, a slow reload and 'cure' were all that was needed to recover from such an endeavor. Sometimes Jack found herself wishing that life were more like a video game and less like - well - life.

"Yup," She replied, and shot at the Zombie who'd previously killed Swink. It crumpled to the ground in a greyish heap of corpse. It dropped a vial of holy water and a few shells that were completely useless to Jack.

He laughed, sarcastically, "Thanks for the warning." Swink paused, "So why did you join my team? Out of all of them out there?"

"It was one of the emptiest; I don't like fighting to fight a Zombie, you dig?" She explained to her new video game buddy.

He laughed, "Yeah, I dig."

"Was that – mocking?" She asked, feigning shock.

"No, not at all!" Swink's character ran around the screen slicing through zombies with a chainsaw. She could imagine him winking at her as he did so.

She stared at the screen in envy, "Where the hell did you get that?"

"A tomb," Swink replied.

"A tomb?" She questioned, "Do you think we could find me a rocket launcher?"

Swink thought for a moment about this question, and made soft 'hmm' noises as he did so. He knew the answer, but he also knew that he could keep this 'girl' in suspense."Maybe, but you're going to have to work for it," He replied with a cheeky grin, even though she couldn't see him.


	3. the plot thickens

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Stay Alive, sad as that fact is.  
**Author's Note: **Newly improved :]

* * *

**Three. **

"Yo," Swink's voice greeted the young heroine's ears as she stepped into one of the millions of tombs that resides within the realm of the game. It was dark, eerie - and Swink knew that there were one too many of the undead in there for Jack's character to handle. It had been three weeks since they had 'met' and a glorious three weeks at that.

"Shh," Jacklyn hushed him, walking cautiously around the tomb. With her AK-47 and a candle equipped. She, too, suspected her character's death was nearing if she didn't high tail it out of there. However, just as she turned to leave the door slammed behind her. She was trapped like a rat.

"Throw the water," Swink warned, "Throw the water before they devour your skinny body."

"SHHH!" She hushed him again - refusing to throw the last holy water she possessed. Besides, if she died Swink would bring her back to life, he always did.

He laughed a bit, in that boyish way, and then heard her cursing. He knew that she'd been killed off, but he had warned her. At least, he thought, they couldn't really die in this game. The painful memories came flooding back to him. A loud sigh came across to her end.

"Swink, buddy, are you okay?" She asked softly. Jack suspected he wasn't - in those three weeks she had come to know his different tones as well as she knew any one of her old friends'.

He blinked once, allowing his brain to send him back to reality, "Yeah - I'm good."

There was silence as the two continued through the game. The silence lasted a good two minutes, before Jack had to break the silence. She was almost afraid of the silence now; Jack equated silence with betrayal and she hated the feeling that Alex had left her with.

"Hey Swink," She said, quietly.

A pause.

"Yeah?" He asked slowly. They were both trying to get their minds off of what had happened to them and both were failing miserably.

"Where are you from?" She asked - making small talk for the first time since that first day of gaming with him.

There was another pause from the light-brown-haired man.

"Why?" He asked, skepticism evident in his voice. Swink was never one to give out his location - be it virtual or real - and even though he liked Jack considerably, he still didn't trust her enough not to stalk him.

"Just curious," She replied, softly.

"Louisiana," He found himself saying.

She laughed , "That's funny, you don't sound it."

"How do you know how people from around here sound?" He retorted, almost angrily.

"I live here too, jackass," She replied, still chuckling softly to herself.

A grin spread across her face. She killed a few Zombies with the AK-47. She still hadn't been lucky enough to come into Swink's good graces which would lead her to the rocket launcher – Bastard.

"Where at in Louisiana?" Swink's voice came through the head set.

She paused, "Why?"

"Just curious," He replied.

"Curiosity killed the cat," She said.

"Good thing I'm not a cat. . . besides, satisfaction brought it back," He noted.

She rolled her eyes at the monitor. She didn't know whether to love this kid, or to hate him. But, somehow she knew he wouldn't hurt her.

"New Orleans."

A tense feeling over came him. The painful memories again. Regardless of what had happened, he had stayed there. Hutch and Abigail married and moved north, but he, he stayed behind. He remembered now: Loomis, October, and Phineas. Of course, many more than that had suffered the wrath of Elizabeth Bathory and her trickery in that stupid game, but these were his friends. He had seen them die, and it had, in some way, affected him.

"We could be neighbors," He joked after another few minutes.

"Please don't say that," She replied, softly. Her response was immediate and more serious than he had heard her.

"Why not?" Swink asked, concerned.

"My last neighbor — well he hurt me pretty bad." Alex had been her neighbor prior to moving in together and seeing him in bed with another woman had all but destroyed her soul.

"Did you move here recently?"He asked.

"Yeah."

"Is he why you moved?"

The tension that had previously belonged to Swink, now belonged to Jack. Maine and the cheating bastard surfaced her memory pool. It left her in near tears, but she somehow found strength to hold them back.

"Yeah, yeah he is," She replied, softly.

"What'd he do?" Swink asked cautiously. He suspected that she didn't want to talk about it.

"I'd rather not talk about it," She replied.

"Why not?"

"Swink, shut up," She laughed.

"Seriously, what did he do?"

"I really would rather not say." Jacklyn was getting annoyed - she heard herself becoming annoyed - and groaned as Swink replied.

"Please, Jack?"

"Why, Swink?"

Swink himself couldn't find a good enough reason to make her spill her guts to him. He wanted to hear someone else's story, that was all. He wanted a reason to not feel so bad. He wanted a reason to feel lively. Most of all though, he craved a reason and a way to forget. Swink figured, in that cute little head of his, that maybe, just maybe Jack could be that reason.


	4. Where Are You Now?

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Stay Alive.  
**Artist's Note: **Newly improved :]

* * *

**Four. **

"Swink, work sucks," Jack said into the headset after a particularly long day of complaining employees and stupid clients. Jack's promotion was not agreeing with her, as it turned out.

"What do you do?" He asked, boredly; work wasn't exactly Swink's choice of conversation. He only asked to be courteous to his friend.

Both of them were growing tired of Apocalypse, and they needed to find a new game to play together; the two were growing increasingly attached to each other. He gave her butterflies and she made his heart speed up. They wouldn't admit it to each other yet - each of them hoped that one day they'd grow the balls to do so.

"I manage an advertising firm," She replied.

Again, memories of his friends came flooding back to him. Hadn't Miller been a manager of sort when he was killed? An eery feeling flowed over Swink, who had stopped playing the game, and the brunette character in front of him turned around.

Her voice flowed through the head-set, "Swink, are you okay?" The concern was evident in her tone, and Swink found himself as sensitive to her tones as she was to his. It was a pleasant feeling for Swink to be getting to know a girl - even if it wasn't face to face.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine." Swink replied. He hadn't realized that he had zoned out and stopped playing until she brought his attention to it.

"Okay then... we really need to find a new game. This one is getting old fast," She sighed as a zombie came out of nowhere. She killed it in one hit.

"Yeah, well, we should probably go to Best Buy and get one," He replied without much thought of the matter - Swink got new games as often as most people got groceries.

"'We' as in together, or separately together?" She asked, curiously. Jack wouldn't admit it to Swink, but she wanted to meet him in person quite badly.

"Either way," Swink replied. Another Zombie was down in one hit, "This game has gotten increasingly boring."

"Yeah, well I'm about to get off and head to Best Buy," Jack told him.

"Me too," Swink nodded, as he prepared to log out. He paused before clicking the X, "Hey, Jack?"

"Yeah Swink?"

"I'll call you when I get there," He replied.

"O.K.," She said as they both logged off and simultaneously headed to a Best Buy closest to them. Jack entered in the store. Her heart pace quickened as she went back to the PC games. She headed to the horror/action section, but there was no one back there. She sighed, a bit sadder that Swink was not there.

It only took a few moments for her phone to begin vibrating like a cheap motel bed. Jack answered it after a moment. "Hi," She said, a bit breathlessly.

Swink laughed, "You were scared weren't you?"

"Yeah, I was, how did you know?"

"I can tell from your voice, that's all," He replied as he reached the horror games section. He looked around, but no one was around except an employee or two.

"Oh, I thought you could see me," She replied looking over the game titles.

He shook his head as he stepped in front of one of the displays, "Nope."

'_I wish_,' He thought, as he pulled down one of the many Resident Evil games. It wasn't available online. Swink put it back.

"So, how's your searching going?" He asked, curiously. He hoped it was going better than his.

"Shitty," She replied, "Yours?"

"Not so good," He told her, honestly.

A pause as the two sorted through the video games.

"OOH," Jack's voice exclaimed, happily.

"What? No more zombies, please," He stated, "The last three games I've had have been zombie related and it's getting old."

"Nah, no Zombies. Killer Celebrities," She replied.

Swink laughed, "What?"

"Seriously - listen: 'Bam Margera, Paul Walker, Cameron Diaz, and many more have been turned into blood-sucking vampires,'" Jack stated.

"Anything else?" Swink asked.

"Yeah, but I don't feel like reading it," She replied, earnestly. There was a lengthy description, and Swink could read it for himself if he so wished.

"What is it called?"

Jack flipped the box back over, having already forgotten the title and found herself laughing at the incredibly inane title.

"Star Killer."

"That sounds really awesome Jack," Swink said in a sarcastic tone.

"Shut up asshole," Jack replied.

"Hey! Profanity is for the feeble minded."

Another pause - Jack couldn't believe that Swink had just called her feeble minded. Holding back the temptation to call him a bastard, she simply said, "Swink."

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

"Okay, are we getting this or not?"

"Yes."

"Alright, I'll see you soon." Swink said as he headed to the check out.

"Bye," She said and hung up. Jacklyn headed to her respective check-out and found herself driving back home.


	5. And I Can Pretend

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Stay Alive.  
**Author's Note: **Newly improved :]

* * *

**Five. **

'**INSERT CHARACTER NAME HERE:**' The screen read after a rather quick installation. The girl in front of the screen smiled, and entered 'Jack Phoenix'. She chose a character, a female with long jet-black hair and big green eyes. The woman was wearing a maids costume, as corny as that was, but Jack didn't have much of a choice.

She signed in and looked for Swink, but Jack found herself cursing as she couldn't find him after a half an hour. Her phone vibrated next to her.

"This sucks," Swink basically growled.

"What? What sucks?" Jack asked her friend, cautiously.

"The servers are all fucking full." He replied.

"I thought profanity was for the feeble minded?"

"What?" Swink asked, "...oh dammit."

"Ha! I got you!" The girl exclaimed, happily. It was one of the few times she had actually managed to trick the incredibly intelligent male.

He rolled his eyes, "You did, I admit it. So now what are we going to do?"

Swink leaned back in his computer chair. He looked at the full server screen with disgust. If there was one thing that Swink could hate more than the horrible memories of his dead friends, it was a full server screen.

"I don't know. Oh! We should meet up!" She exclaimed.

He raised an eyebrow, "What? I thought you didn't trust us male species."

"I can trust _you_ now," She replied emphasizing the fact that she trusted Swink and not the rest of his kind.

"I feel honored, but prey tell - what would you like to do tonight?" He asked.

"How about we go catch a movie? I feel like being lazy." Jacklyn replied.

He laughed, "When don't you?"

"When I'm having sex," She replied drily and humorlessly.

"Awkward" Swink murmured, "Movies...what theater?"

"I don't know, which one are you closest to?"

"Darry," He replied.

"That's the big multiplex right?"

"Yeah," He replied, slowly, "You do know where that is, don't you?"

"Yes, Swink, I do. Is there anything in particular that you want to see?" She asked, getting on to good old to check the theater's schedule.

"What's playing?" He asked.

She named them off and he picked out the newest horror movie. Jack responded with the times. They agreed on the 10:30 showing and hung up. Now for the fun part – the meeting.


	6. The Meeting

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, I don't own Stay Alive.  
**Author's Notes: **Newly Improved :)

* * *

**Six. **

The young woman pulled her long, raven locks back into a messy bun. Jacklyn sighed as she looked into the mirror - she had already applied a full face of make up and gotten dressed, all that was left was for her to head out the door and to the cinema. She got into her car and headed to the theater, which turned out to be only fifteen minutes away.

Jacklyn parked her car and walked slowly towards the door. She didn't see anyone that looked like 'Swink material' and kept walking. Jack got up to the ticket counter, bought her ticket, and then went to the lobby area to find a bench to sit on. Her phone vibrated in her bag rapidly as she sat down against a wall. She pulled it out and the screen read: '**SWINK**' .

She smiled, and answered it, "Bon Soir."

"Good Evening to you, too." Swink laughed, "Are you here?"

Jacklyn could hear the smile in his voice. She laughed, "Yeah, I'm here."

He laughed, and it echoed.

"You just echoed."

"Did I?" Swink asked curiously.

"That means your close." She nodded to herself.

"I think I see you," He replied.

Then the line went dead and she felt two warm, soft hands with calloused finger tips clasp over her eyes. Jack had stood up while on the phone with Swink so she might be able to spot him better; he, however, had beat her to it.

"Guess who?" The same boyish voice whispered into her left ear.

"Swink," She laughed, pulling his hands off her face gently. She turned around and looked up at him. He was cute, much cuter than she'd expected him to be, and she was much more beautiful than he'd expected. He wrapped an arm around her, giving her a one-armed hug. In return, she wrapped both arms around his waist in a warm hug.

"And she's so affectionate!" He laughed, wrapping the other arm around her.

She rolled her eyes, "If you don't want me to be affectionate, I will gladly–"

"No, no; don't do anything stupid," He replied and held out a hand for her to take after she had pulled away. To be honest, Swink was completely in awe of her. How did a girl this attractive get so good at video games? She had to have dates every night.

Jacklyn took Swink Sylvania's hand and they walked up the stairs to the theater their movie was playing in. They sat at the very top of the theater in the center of the screen, because it had the best view, and began to get comfortable. He laughed gently as she put her feet up on the seats.

"To be honest, you weren't what I was expecting," He told her.

She laughed, "How do you mean?"

"I thought you'd be this meek, young, homely girl," Swink said.

"Swink, I know that 'homely' is a nicer way of saying ugly," Jack smiled.

He gave a smirk back to her, "I don't think that now though - of course."

"Oh, what do you think?" She asked.

"That, my friend, is for me to know and you to find out," He replied.

She smiled, "At any rate, you're almost exactly what I expected."

"And that was?" He asked.

"That is for me to know and you to find out," She mocked.

The movie previews began to roll; "Touche, my friend," He replied into her ear as a soft whisper. His breath against her ear made her shiver.


	7. Alcoholics!

**a/n:** my friend kelley asked me to update; so i did.

* * *

If you had asked Jack how she had gotten to this bar/rock music venue, she couldn't have told you. Her and Swink were talking about what else they wanted to do, and before she knew it she was sitting next to Swink himself, filling herself up with Vodka and Pepsi.

There wouldn't be a problem with this – if Jack wasn't a horny drunk. Let's face there are four different drunks in this world: the calm, the angry, the deceiving, and the horny. Out of all of them, Jack was glad that she was the horny one. It had yet to get her in trouble. Key word: Yet.

Jack found herself dancing with Swink a mere ten minutes later, and before she knew it she had him pressed against a wall at the bar. Her lips were pressed to his and when she pulled away he could tell that her lips were kiss-swollen.

Now, Swink wasn't the type of guy to tell a girl otherwise if she was trying to get into his pants, especially not a girl so attractive as Jack, but he also wasn't the type of guy to take advantage of a drunk girl. So he grabbed her hands to prevent them from traveling and put his arm around her.

"Come on Jack, it'd be the best if I got you home now," He said.

She looked up at him, confused as hell, "What?'

"Jack, babe, you're _very_ drunk. I just want to get you home so you can sleep it off." He told her, slowly.

She shook her head, "Are you sure?"

"Sure?" he asked confused, "Yeah, Jack Im sure. Let's get you home."

And so Swink took her home, but by the time he'd gotten her situated he himself was dead tired. He rationalized in his head that he could sleep on her couch without much of a problem, and fell asleep there.

The next morning Jack awoke to a splitting headache and disorientation. She sighed and exited her bedroom, only to scream when she saw a body on the couch. Swink, out of surprise and grogginess yelled 'what' and fell off the couch onto the cold floor.

"Ouch," He groaned from the floor.

"Swink?" She asked, having calmed considerably.

"Yeah, what did you scream for?" He asked.

She shrugged, "Didn't recognize you."

He feigned a sad expression, "Im hurt!"

He got up and walked over to her, "You don't remember me?"

She laughed, "Shut up Swink."

He sighed, "Fine, but you have to make me coffee."

"Ok," She smiled and headed into the kitchen for ibprophen and coffee.


	8. Quit Teasing Me

**a/n: **it's been awhile. first, i was on vacation, and then my computer crashed. it was depressing.

* * *

Jack set a cup of coffee, and some cream & sugar in front of Swink, who smiled widely and thanked her. She stared at him for a few minutes as he drank his coffee - which was black, until he finally got creeped out and stared back at her.

"What is it Jack?" Swink finally asked the girl.

"Did we do anything last night?" She asked him, worriedly.

Sure, she liked the kid, but was he worth unprotected sex? Scratch that, was anybody? No, which is exactly why she was worried about last night. Jack knows how she can get when she's drunk. She's been known to be very horny, as has been mentioned before. She's been known to even do things when she's been drunk. And you know what kind of things I'm talking about.

"You wanted to, but I said no," He replied.

She raised an eyebrow at him, "Are you sure?"

He laughed, "Yeah, Jack, I'm sure. I wouldn't take advantage of you."

She smiled, if only slightly, and wrapped her arms around him, "Thank you."

He laughed, and set his coffee down on the table, he then wrapped his arms around her too, returning the hug she initiated.

"You're welcome Jack," He replied, and kissed her cheek.

She pulled back a little and stared at him. He stared right back at her, until she closed the space between them. She was kissing him gently at first, but got a little more agressive with each passing moment. As she kissed him, she also pushed him back onto the couch, to the point where he was laying beneath her. At this point, both of them were a little heated, and his hands were traveling from her upper back all the way down to her ass. She could care less, as she was caught in the moment -- until she realized that exact thing.

"Wait," She said in a rushed, husky voice.

"What?" He asked, his head falling back on to the couch.

"I just -- I can't, I _would_ but I **can't**," She said apologetically.

He looked at her concerned, "You don't have AIDS or something do you?"

"What?! No!" She laughed.

"Well, that's good," He replied and then got comfortable again, "You do realize that this is the second time in the past eight hours that you've led me on."

She smirked, "Sorry."

"Uh-huh, sure," He rolled his eyes.

She kissed him, "No, really."

"Ok, ok, I believe you."

She laid down now, fully atop him, and got comfortable.

"What are you doing?"

"Comandeering you as a matress." She replied.

He raised an eyebrow at her, and she smiled again, "You should just hang out with me all day."

He smiled, and kissed her softly, "I can do that."

Swink would be _overjoyed_ to stay with Jack all day, actually. So maybe it's a little quick, but he could feel himself falling for her. He knew it was foolish, and weak, but he figured taking a chance was worth it -- besides, you only live once.


	9. You Do Like That, Don't You?

**A/N; **This chapter is lame. Forgive me, I'm lacking inspiration here.

* * *

"I'm so gonna - fuck." Jack murmured as Swink slaughtered her character. 

She glanced over at him - he had this huge smile on his face.

"You're an ass," She murmured.

He paused the game, "Yeah, well, this **ass** is hungry. Let's go get something to eat."

She glared at him.

"Aw, Jack, don't look at me like that. You **know** you're hungry too."

"You don't know what I know!" She exclaimed.

Her stomach growled, causing Swink to laugh.

"And so my stomach decieves me. Fine, we can go eat somewhere."

"Mhm, I'm driving," He replied.

"Ok," She smiled getting up and stretching.

"By the way, you might want to get some clothes on."

"Huh?" Jack questioned, looking down at herself.

"OH, yeah, clothes," She murmured after looking down at herself.

She was only clad in a sports bra and a pair of Spongebob boxers.

"I'll be right back," She said, going into her bedroom.

Ten minutes later she reemerged looking ten times better than she did beforehand. Swink smiled at her, and then shook his head.

"Girls." He murmured, "Can we go eat now?"

"You know, you're lucky you're cute."

"How so?" He asked, holding out a hand to her.

She took it and entertwined her fingers with his, "Cause if you weren't I'd have to kick your ass for your little comments."

He smiled, "I could take you."

"Uh huh, right," She rolled her eyes as they stood on the elevator, "So where are we going to eat?"

"I haven't decided yet."

"Men."

Swink rolled his eyes, "Fine, we can stop at Antonio's."

"The Italian place?" Jack questioned, mouth-watering.

"Yes, the Italian place. You do like that don't you?" He asked.

She nodded happily, "Yes, Yes Swink I do."


	10. Because You're Here

**author's note: **yeah, this is just for kristin. cause she decided to tell me that i'm lagging ass on this story. i guess i should be thanking her for motivating me, but nehhh. i'm too cruel/cool for that. worddd.

**

* * *

**

"Babe, I have to go to New York for a while," Swink said, softly.

"What? Why, and for how long?" She questioned.

"I don't know for how long. Maybe for forever," He sighed, rubbing his eyes and sitting down on his couch.

Her eyes got huge, quickly, "What? Am I really that bad?"

"No, Jack, come here, sit down. I have to tell you something."

"You're married aren't you!?"

"What?" He laughed a bit, "No. Just sit down."

She sighed, but did as she was told; he smiled, and kissed her cheek. He sighed again, not wanting to tell her what he knew he had to. Even worse, he didn't want her to want to come with him. To help him.

"Jack, have you heard of the supposed _killer_ video game?" He questioned softly.

"Yeah, who hasn't heard the stupid rumors?"

Swink shook his head, and Jack looked confused, "They're not rumors. Jack – I, I lived through it. I cam this close to becoming dead meat by a game character."

He held his fingers an inch or so apart, "I dove into a bushel of roses to avoid being killed by the blood countess."

"The – Swink, hun are you feeling ok? Those are just **rumors**."

"I'm serious Jack, she's **real**. They aren't just rumors. My friends were the ones who–" Swink trailed.

Realization came over her, "Swink. I want to come with you."

"No, Jack, I don't want you to get hurt."

"If I don't play the game I can't get hurt. I'm not going to play the game," She promised.

"Still –" He sighed.

"I want to be with you," She replied, taking his hand into her own, then she took a deep breath, "And since we're speaking about painful memories. I guess now is the time I tell you _why _I moved here."

Swink was all ears as Jack told him about how Alex had raped her.

"But, I'm okay now, because **you're here**. Thank you Swink," She smiled, and kissed him softly.

He grinned, "So you want to come with me?"

"Very much so. I want to be there for you; with you." She replied.


	11. A Promise Meant To Keep

**Authors Note: **Its a miracle what you can find on the internet. Such as, the name of the New Orleans airport and the duration of the flight

**Rate, or my kitten will bite your face.**

**

* * *

**

After a 2 hours and 20 minute long flight from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport to John Fitzgerald Kennedy International Airport, and a painstakingly long, not to mention boring, cab ride the 'couple' arrived at Hutch O'Neill's apartment.

Swink, rang the bell to the house and after a momentary conversation with Hutch through the little speaker box. He was buzzed through and took Jack's hand as they crawled the stairs to the apartment. When they finally reached the door and knocked, Hutch threw the door open in anticipation and hugged his long-since seen friend.

"Hey Swink, how have you been?" Hutch's somewhat worried voice greeted the young male's ears.

"I've been. . ." Swink paused as he noticed Hutch staring at Jack.

"Whose that?"

"Jacklyn Elizabeth Kerns, nice to meet you," Jack stuck out her hand.

"And she is?"

"My beautiful girlfriend." Swink answered.

Jack laughed, somewhat flattered, somewhat just half cracked out from being on a plane too long.

"Oh, in that case, come in," Hutch said and welcomed his friend and his 'girlfriend' into the apartment.

"Where's Abigail?"

"I don't know, she left around noon." Hutch replied.

"She's not –"

"No, she's not. Just out, wouldn't tell me where she was going."

"Sweet baby Jesus, she's not trying to kill the thing by herself, is she?"

"I don't assume so."

"But you know what assuming does," Jack cut in.

"Jack, shh," Swink laughed.

"Sorry, I'm kind of loopy from the airplane."

Hutch chuckled, but it cut off just as quickly as it began, "It's fine."

"Well, we should probably look for your woman Hutch. She might be in trouble." Swink noted.

"No, neither of us have played the game yet."

"Yet. I don't like the sound of that." Jack commented.

"Nor do I," Swink added.

"Well, if we want to stop her, we have to play the game."

"Forgive me if I got this wrong, but if you wanted to stop her, shouldn't we," Jack gestured to herself and to Swink, "Have stayed in Lousiana, where her manor is."

"Her?" Hutch questioned, as if she didn't know.

"Elizabeth Bathory, correct?"

Hutch shook his head, and handed Swink & Jack a newspaper, "That manor burned down. We have to find her new home."

Swink looked at Jack, knowing that the only way one could find where she lived was to play the game. He didn't want her to play, and die one of the horrible ways the Blood Countess could think up.

"Jack, I'm not going to let you play."

"Swink - I can, handle myself."

"Jack, I trust you, but I don't want you to die," Swink stared at her and in return, she simply kissed him.

"I won't play," Jack promised.


	12. Americans aren't safe there!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Stay Alive, Elizabeth Bathory, Swink, Abigail, or Hutch. I do, however, own this plot, and any OCs. 

**Author's Note:** New character. A twist of fate, LE SHOCK. SHES BACK. 

* * *

"There has got to be another way," Jack shook her head, "There **has** to." 

She had gotten a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She was certain that if Swink played that game, he would die. She had just gotten to know him and she was starting to _really_ like him! It wouldn't be fair of him to go out and get himself killed! 

Plus, the fact that the only way to stop her was to play the game in which she so obviously cheated, did not sit right in her mind. 

"No, Jack. I'm sorry but there is no other way," Hutch said. 

"The probability of us finding the right place without playing the game is slim to none Jack, I mean there's all of Europe and Russia where she could be," Swink agreed. 

"Well, at least let me research a bit before you do anything... stupid," She murmured, tugging at Swink's arm lovingly. 

Swink nodded, "Alright." 

"Hutch, I'm going to need your laptop," She looked at him with wide, puppy dog eyes. He nodded and handed it to her. 

A mere ten minutes later Abigail and some unknown guy burst in through the door. The guy was about twenty, and looked scared out of his mind. The moment Jackyln laid eyes on him, she knew he had played Stay Alive. She just knew that shacky, scared look - she had seen the way Swink looked as he told her the terrible story of The Blood Countess' slaughter of his friends. It worried her even more so, that the twenty year old was even more shaky than Swink had been. Perhaps Elizabeth had gotten more gruesome. Oh, that would **not **be good. 

"Who are you? And why are you in my house?" Abby stared at Jack, who shrugged.

"I'm your own personal stalker, and I like the couch." Jack laughed, "Sorry, I'm actually just Swink's woman. He and Hutch are back there somewhere."

Jack waved off down the hallway absentmindedly before going back to typing and searching her results for where the Blood Countess might be. In the next fifteen minutes or so, Jack was introduced to both Abbs and James. James confirmed that the game was definitely not set state-side. Actually, he confirmed it was in Europe somewhere. That made seraching for the bloody bitch all the more easier. 

* * *

"**HUTCH, SWINK, ABIGAIL, JAMES! **Come here! Come look at this!" Jack exclaimed from her spot on the couch, a laptop planted on her lap. She had been researching for over an hour now and everything pointed to the same direction. If they wanted to kill Elizabeth Bathory, they were to go where it all began - Catchice Castle, in Slovakia. As Jack read more, she realized that it had to be this Catchice place. 

One article, for instance, read: "Fifteen dead as the gruesome killings continue. One Ann Marie Hash, 27, was found drained of blood in her tiny flat. Another, James Woodwardly, 19, was found with no jaw. Others, suffered similarily atrocious deaths..." 

"_Slovakia_? Do you know what they do to **Americans **in Slovakia?" James questioned. 

"Yes," Jack replied, with a menacing tone to her voice, "They kidnap you from your hostle and, here's the kicker, kill you for the fuck of it."

"I believe that movie was set in Amsterdam, not Slovakia," Swink replied. 

"Or they steal your kidneys!" Abigail chirped. 

"No, that's Brazil, and an urban legend." Jack rolled her eyes, "At any rate, we know Slovakia is a shit-hole now, but it might not of been in Elizabeth Bathory's time. Actually, it probably wasn't." 

"Which does nothing for us Jack. We just need to get to Slovakia and make damned sure that we don't get killed by the locals before we get to her castle to kill her - again." 

"What good is killing her going to do if there are hundreds, maybe thousands, of Stay Alive games out there?" Jack asked. 

"They took the games off the shelves after the 'mysterious' disappearances related to the game," Hutch answered, "That means that the only people who had it are probably dead." 

"Then we're going to Slovakia, correct?" Jack asked, "Everyone agrees, correct?" 

"Yeah, we're all with you," Swink nodded. 

"Have you even played the game?" James asked, looking shaky once more. "It's _horrible_. There are dead zombie girls! Three of my friends were killed by that game, and it wasn't just a gun shot or a stab wound. No, this was brutal shit Jack! One of them exploded from the inside out, another suffocated in her own blood. Do you understand this? Do you understand what I'm getting at?" 

"You're a pansy and you're afraid to face the real bitch?" Jack asked, cocking an eyebrow and using her usual smart ass tone. Hutch and Swink couldn't help but to crack a smile. 

"No!" James exclaimed, only to be brought to the truth by their accusing faces, "Okay, so I am, but you would be too if you had played the game! Besides, if you guys supposedly burned her last year, then what are we going to do? Chop at her with axes and hope that she materializes?" 

"No, no," Abigail began, "Do those reports say anything about suspects or ?" 

Jack trained her eyes on the screen once more, "Yes. They say some of the witnesses confirm that a tall, young woman with strong features and long, black hair has been seen around each of the crime scenes. I bet that woman is Elisabeth." 

"But, how?" Hutch asked. 

"It just doesn't make sense. Logically, that's impossible," Swink said, then paused for a moment, "Unless, that is, she is posessed or a reincarnation of the original woman." 

"Reincarnation, now you **have** lost it Swink," Hutch chuckled, but was then stared down by both Swink and Jack. "Or, not." 

"With all that figured out, Jack and I are going out. Now." 

"...we are?" Jack asked, confused. 

"Mhm, come on," Swink said, pulling Jack by her wrist and taking her out of the apartment as they heard Hutch calling for them to be "safe". 


	13. The Mozerella Confession

**Author's Note: **Yes, I updated because Kristin told me to. .;  
**Disclaimer: **As much as I'd really like to own Frankie Muniz, Swink Sylvania or Stay Alive, I really don't. I just own this particular story line and Jack/James/Ash. Shibby?

* * *

"I don't want you to go," Swink told Jack over a greasy plate of mozzarella sticks and a pitcher of beer.

He hadn't intended on taking her to some biker bar in New York, but it was one of the only places open within walking distance. Besides that, Jacklyn claimed to like slimy bar food. Swink was still trying to get his head around that fact.

"Okay, I won't, " She told him. There was a pause that worried Swink – it wasn't like her to give up. "But only if you stay here – with me."

"I knew it was too good to be true," Swink mused, "You know that I can't do that Jack."

He watched as she tore one of the sticks in half and dunked one of the cheesy pieces into the red sauce the waitress claimed to be marinara.

"Then I'm going with you."

"Why do you have to be so stubborn?" Swink fretted.

She turned and looked at him. Her eyes were trailing his face as she said, "Because Swink, you're the only friend I really have."

"In fact," She admitted, "You're the first person I've been able to rely on in years."

And it was true, apart from Ashley, Swink _was_ the only friend she had. If he even had the slightest chance of dying on this suicide mission, then she wanted to be there so he wouldn't have to die alone.

Swink stared at her blankly for a moment, "Surely you have other friends. And a family?"

She shook her head.

"Parents? Cousins?"

She shook her head once more, "No. No one. My parents died when I was 18. They were both only children, and I never got a chance to meet my grandparents. Ash is the only friend I have apart from you."

"That's so… sad," Swink tried to express his sentiments, "It seems like you never get a break."

"Well," She began, "I met you. You're the best thing that's happened to me in a long, long time."

"There's nothing I can say or do to keep you from coming is there?"

"No. If this bitch **is** back, she's going to want your blood, Swink, and I want to be there to… to protect you."

He leaned over and kissed her. He couldn't help but to admire her for a minute. It was the sweetest thing a girl had ever said to him, and it was inconceivable how much it meant to him that she was willing to risk her life for him. Swink found it noble, yes, but also incredibly stupid.

…

Jack kissed Swink's neck as they stumbled, half-drunk, up the stairs to Abigail and Hutch's apartment.

He laughed, "Stop! That tickles."

"You sound like a chick."

Swink glared down at his girl as they approached the door. When they got there, Swink turned the handle only to find that the door was locked and dead-bolted. He groaned before starting to pound on the door.

"Abs? Hutch!"

After ten minutes of his relentless knocking, Swink turned to Jack with a look of confusion written on his face.

"Maybe they're humping?" She suggested.

"Shh." He said, leaning up next to the door. All he heard was James snoring from the couch in the living room.

He shrugged, "That kid can sleep through anything."

"Maybe Abby and Hutch went out too? Y'know, after we did?"

"It's like, 1:30, they should be home by now."

"They're grown. C'mon Swink, I'm sure they're fine. Let's just go to a hotel."

"Why?"

She stood up on her tip-toes and whispered something sexual in his ear.

A lop-sided smile appeared on his features as he nodded, "Alright. Let's go."

She kissed his jaw once as they commenced their jounrey to nearby hotel.

...

A loud vibrating shook the bedside table the next morning as Swink and Jack laid in the bed sleeping soundly - or they were, until the aforementioned vibrating woke Jack up.

"Swink," She mummbled, the sound of her voice muffled because her face was buried in the pillows.

"Swink," Jack repeated.

"Uh?" Swink grunted, groggily.

"You're phone. It's vibrating." She replied, rolling over and wrapping an arm around his shirtless middle. Her face found it's way to his shoulder and she began nuzzling him.

"Oh," He mustered, reaching one arm out from under the covers to answer it.

"Swink Sylvania, at your service," He replied as Jack giggled. She proceeded to kiss his shoulder.

"Swink? Man, thank God. Where are you two?" Hutch asked, assuming correctly that Jack was still with him.

"A hotel."

"Why?"

"We couldn't get into the apartment last night. We tried to, but the door was locked and no one answered."

"Oh." Hutch replied.

"Where were you and Abigail anyway?" Swink asked, rolling over and letting Jacklyn rest her head in the crook of his neck instead of on his shoulder blade.

"We went out," Hutch told him.

"Huh."

"Anyway," He began, "You and Jack should probably get back here. Abs and I got some stuff to show you."

"Alright, we'll be there after we shower."

"Oh yeah," Hutch laughed, "Please shower."

"Later," Swink said as he hung up.

"What'd he want?" Jack managed half-asleep.

"For us to come back to the apartment," Swink told her, "He told me he has something to show us, and he told us to shower."

"Oh. Do we have to? I'd rather spend the rest of the day in bed."

"Yeah, we have to. We've got the world to save, you know?"

She grunted, "Alright. Alright. Let's go shower so we can save the idiots who read a centuries-old seance to raise the Blood Countess."

Swink chuckled as she threw the covers from her nearly naked body and headed for the shower, "Well?"

"What?"

"Aren't you coming?"

Swink shrugged and stumbled out of bed, "Yes Master."


	14. Spiritual Posession?

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Swink Sylvania or other characters from the movie Stay Alive. I only own this plot, Jack and James.

**Author's Note: **Kind of short. Enjoy anyway?

* * *

"Wow, what is all this?" Swink asked as he opened the unlocked door of Abigail and Hutch's apartment. The coffee table was completely covered in papers, books, and pentagons. There was a bag of rock salt in the corner that was big enough to keep a driveway clear of ice for almost ten winters. A few guns and knives littered the room as well. "A cult meeting?"

"No," Abigail began from her spot between Hutch and James on the couch, Hutch's laptop balanced on her knees, "This is protection and offense."

"Are you going to explain it all?" Jack questioned, quickly enough to make her seem anxious.

"Yes," Hutch said, "Sit down."

"We're dealing with a spiritual possession, we all agree with that, yes?"

"Or reincarnation," Swink objected. The group turned and stared at him, as if telling him to 'shut up'. They turned their attention back toward Abigail who seemed unfazed by Swink's interruption.

"Okay, well there are several ways to exorcize a person of it's ghostly parasite," She said, "In both physical and spiritual ways, and yes, Swink I know this is going to be hard for you to grasp."

"I wasn't...!" He began.

"You were," Hutch replied, busting Swink's balls for the first time since he had been there.

"Anyway, this book says that speaking a prayer or a seance in Latin can exorcize most victims, but in extreme cases there are several other ways. One way is to kill the woman who is possessed, although it is quite messy and often harder than it would seem."

"I'm not killing someone who may only be possessed," Jack quickly objected.

"I'm not either," Abigail told her, "The easiest way is to trap them inside a pentagram type symbol or a circle of rock salt. Then to recite this." She pointed to the passage in the book. It was lengthy and intimidating to Jack.

"You can slow down a possessed person by shooting them with pure iron or rock salt rounds, but by itself this method will _not_ exorcize a person. You can also stab them with certain knives."

"That's all fine and dandy, Abigail, but the airport isn't just going to let us get onto a 757 with an arsenal in our duffles," Jack noted, "They'll probably question the rock salt, too."

"We're not taking a commercial flight," Hutch said, "I called in a favor with a friend of mine. He's a pilot."

"Why does he think we're going to Romania?" Swink asked, wanting to know what kind of alibi Hutch had come up with. Some of his past lies had been choice, and most of them were ridiculous.

"Well," Hutch began, sheepishly.

"Oh, no, what did you tell them?" The energetic brunette asked his friend.

"That it's your honeymoon, and you lovely newlyweds invited us with you to your backpacking trip across Europe for safety purposes," Hutch smiled.

"Oh, my, I've become a bride without even knowing it!" Jack laughed, but Swink looked unamused.

"Why couldn't you just say that you and Abby got married? It's more truthful."

"Because, he knows we _already_ got married." Hutch pointed out.

"That's right, and besides, Swink, you two will be very good at pretending your newlyweds. Won't you Jack?"

"You mean, act so sweet that the rest of you will want to vomit?"

"Um, yes," Abby replied.

"Sure thing," She smiled.

"So what's the plan, exactly?" Swink questioned, "Just go in, guns blazing, and hope for the best?"

"Not exactly. I think we should all probably go to the shooting range and get a little practice in before we catch a flight to Romania," James said, "I mean, no offense Jack, but you and Abby don't exactly look like the hunting type, neither do you, Swink."

"So, to a shooting range then?" Hutch asked, getting up and grabbing his coat.

"Might as well, it's a nice day," Swink replied, grabbing Jack's hand as they exited the apartment together.


End file.
